Ps 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Who satisfies they mouth with good things, so that you youth is renewed like the eagle’s? What the duce does that mean. What does your mouth have to do with your youth being renewed and who says the eagle’s gets his youth renewed. I mean at my age I would not mind having my youth renewed. I mean really once you get old you get old, there is only the march forward not backward.
I think a little investigation into this passage is warranted here. For starters you might notice that the words [things: so that] are in brackets. As we all know that means those words are not in the original text, they are just implied or at least implied to the translator.
Every modern translation I read usually says something to the effect that God will satisfy your old age, or your desires with good things so that your youth will be renewed. The word for mouth or old age is ‘adi which is rarely used as mouth or old age. The word itself comes from the root word adah which in its Semitic origins was a word for the veil worn by a bride over her mouth. That is where the mouth idea comes from. The veil was brightly decorated and was a very important part of the bridal outfit. With marriages arranged a man often did not even see his bride and the veil was worn to keep her appearance a secret until the marriage was pronounced and once it was the new husband could finally remove the veil and get a good look at the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with and surprise – snaggle tooth.
Ok, let’s look at the real reason within a Jewish context for the bridal veil. Within Jewish tradition the veil is much more romantic for it is the groom who puts the veil over his bride’s face because what he is saying is: I can cover your sweet beauty and still marry you because that is not the true beauty that I am marrying. For the beauty that I love is much deeper. It is a beauty I will love even into your old age.” Oddly, that is how we get the idea of old age from the word adah. Yet, that is not reflected in our modern translations.
Another reason for the veil stems from Moses who had to wear a veil over his face because the light of God shined so bright. So too when the bride steps under the chupah she is raised to a higher state of holiness, she radiates the Divine Presence. It is here just before the bride and groom exchange their vows that the groom allows his bride a moment of privacy with God, such holiness needs privacy so he places a veil over her face. In that moment of privacy with God she will renew her vows to God as her first love in heaven and then she is ready to be joined with the man will be her first love on earth. Even here as the bridegroom places the veil over his brides face to have her privacy alone with God he is saying: “If you continue to love God with all your heart, soul and mind like Moses then you will always bring such sunshine into my life that like Moses you will need to wear a veil.”
Old age is used for adah by translators because of the verse talking about renewing your youth. However, since literal youth is never renewed, we will never get younger in the flesh. Old age does not fit unless we speak of renewing our youth metaphorically such as renewed strength of vigor. However, since the word adah does carry a sense of romance, I have a better explanation for this renewal of youth.
Suppose rather than say old age or mouth we simply say a wedding veil. That is stretching adah no more than to say adah means old age or mouth. After all the word adah in its very root means an ornamentation or decoration and that fits a veil better than a mouth or old age. The word things is not found in the Hebrew it is just assumed if the word tov is used which means good, then you have to say what is good and so you plug in an extra word like things as in good things. But that in itself is a paraphrase. So let me paraphrase a little myself. The word for good is tov which in its root meaning means to be in harmony with something. So here is what I get from this: “I will satisfy your bridal veil so you are in harmony with your bride Jesus.” Now that I find much more satisfying than having my old age satisfied with good things. I would much rather have my Savior put a veil over my face and say: “I love you and even in your old age you will be in harmony with me as you were in your youth and bring sunshine into my life today as your did in your youth.”
So what about this renewing of our youth business. I discovered the meaning to that on a personal level. The cares of this world, the culmination of three score and five years of mistakes, failures and disappointments have worn me down that I feel ugly and old before God. I was discovering that I no longer have that passion and love of my youth. Yet God placed that adah that bridal veil over my face as if to say, “Even if you grow old and ugly, I will still love you as I did in your youth.” Then when he takes me in His arms as he did in day of my youth and gives me that hug I am again renewed with the passion of the love I felt for Him in my youth.
That eagle stuff, well I will save that for tomorrow. Right now God has a little veil lifting to do with me so go on mind your business. But hey, if you are like me feeling worn down by the cares of this world, perhaps you might retreat to your quiet place and let God lift that adah that bridal veil from your face and renew the love and passion for him that you knew when you were first saved and His new bride. I think He would like for you to bring sunshine to Him today.
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